Cheesecake Swirl Brownies

Ingredients:

½ cup butter or margarine (1 stick)
4 squares (4 ounces) unsweetened chocolate
4 squares (4 ounces) semisweet chocolate
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
2 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
 ¾ teaspoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ packages (8 ounces each) cream cheese, chilled
¾ teaspoon almond extract

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease 13- by 9-inch metal baking pan.

2. In 4-quart saucepan, melt butter and unsweetened and semisweet chocolates over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat. With wooden spoon, beat in 1 ½ cups sugar. Add 4 eggs and 2 teaspoons vanilla and beat until well blended. Stir in flour, baking powder, and salt.

3. In small bowl, with mixer at medium speed, beat cream cheese until smooth; gradually beat in remaining ½ cup sugar. Beat in almond extract, remaining 1 egg, and remaining ½ teaspoon vanilla just until blended.

4. Spread 1 ½ cups chocolate batter in prepared pan. Spoon cream-cheese batter in 6 large dollops on top of chocolate mixture (cream-cheese mixture will cover much of chocolate batter). Spoon remaining chocolate batter in 6 large dollops over and between cream-cheese mixture. With tip of knife, cut and twist through mixtures to create marble design.

5. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until toothpick inserted in center of pan comes out almost clean with a few crumbs attached. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

6. When cool, cut lengthwise into 4 strips, then cut each strip crosswise into 6 pieces.

Makes 24 brownies.

Audrey